California Ag Network

Category: Nut Industry

  • Insect and Mite Updates – 2017

    Sacramento, Calif., (June 28, 2017) – The impacts of such an unusually wet winter and prolonged spring rain events on insect and mite activity are still developing. This article summarizes some notable observations thus far and specific pest management considerations as we move into summer.

    The first codling moth biofix generally ranged from early- to mid-April in 2017 in the Sacramento Valley (many of the same orchards observed first biofix in late March the previous two years). As this goes to print, we are nearing 1060 degree days (DD) in most blocks and are on the lookout for the second biofix. The first codling moth flight this year (1A and 1B peaks) were reported to be quite high in many orchards throughout the region, and applications targeting one or both of these flight peaks were common. Keep in mind that a good codling moth program can help minimize early-season infestation by navel orangeworm, so keep a close eye on your trap counts and the numbers of codling moth-infested dropped nuts in your orchards.

    Although wet winters can cause increased overwintering mortality of navel orangeworm, significant survival was apparent in walnut mummies examined this spring (March 2017). Bear in mind that your neighbors may not have been able to execute their normal NOW sanitation programs last winter either, and these may be a source of populations moving into your orchard as the season progresses (in addition to any carry-over populations you may have in your orchard). Prior to husk split, NOW will go back into mummies and into this-season’s damaged nuts (codling moth-infested and blighted nuts).

    Significant populations of frosted scale were evident in a number of orchards throughout the Sacramento Valley this year. It is not entirely clear why this pest, which it typically present only at low levels, has increased so dramatically in recent years. Research is underway examining this phenomenon, as well as best practices and timings for effective population reduction. Frosted scale produces honeydew when feeding (walnut scale does not). This favors growth of

    sooty mold, which increases the chances for sunburn damage, so keep an eye on this if your orchard was heavily impacted by frosted scale this spring. Frequent rains throughout winter and early spring limited the ability for many growers to get into the orchards to apply dormant/delayed-dormant scale treatments, necessitating applications targeting the spring crawler stage. Crawler emergence was observed late in the second week of May 2017 (compared to the first week of May 2015 and last week of April 2016), with peak crawler activity noted approximately two weeks later. This highlights the importance of monitoring the populations, rather than applying treatments based on “typical” calendar timing (which would have been too early this year to target peak crawler activity). Our research trials this year are examining efficacy of different treatment materials and timings specifically for frosted scale (walnut scale has been the focus of research in recent years). If treatments were applied for frosted scale (either dormant/delayed-dormant or crawler), monitor the populations next dormant period looking for the overwintering nymphs (photos and more information at ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r881300111.html). Frosted scale has only one generation per year, so the effects of this season’s spray program will be best observed at this time, and as next spring’s populations begin to develop.

    Conversely, walnut scale populations have dropped off in many orchards, likely due to effective management programs over the past few years. We observed walnut scale crawler emergence during the last week of May 2017 (compared to first and second weeks of May in 2015 and 2016, respectively). Another reminder the importance that treatment timings should be supported by field observations of pest activity each year.

    Walnut husk fly traps just beginning to hit the week of June 5 in Butte and Sutter counties. No activity noted as of that time in our trapping locations in Tehama county. Remember that WHF treatment decisions should be made on a site-specific basis and take the time to hang traps high in the tree canopy – this will provide better accuracy in detecting activity. If trapping indicates the presence of treatable WHF populations, all insecticides should be applied with a bait (i.e., molasses, Nu-Lure®, Monterey Insect Bait®). The exception is GF-120 which contains its own bait. For low- to moderate-populations, coverage is not critical and low-volume and/or partial coverage applications (e.g., alternate row) of bait with insecticide can be effective. However, in high population orchards with extensive previous damage, high-volume, full coverage, and/or multiple applications of bait with insecticide may be necessary to achieve adequate control. If you miss a timing and are observing fresh stings, full cover neonicotinoids that have some ovicidal (egg-killing) activity mixed with an adulticide will provide partial control of eggs if applied immediately after stings are observed. Generally, a short-residual insecticide-plus-attractant will kill walnut husk fly for 10 days. With the egg development period added to this time, there is about 3 weeks of protection after an application (GF-120 treatments often must be applied more frequently).

    Spider mite activity remains low at press time, but will likely begin to pick up with sustained warmer temperatures. Prophylactic May applications of abamectin, while still favored by many almond producers, have shown to be less effective and economically-viable in most walnut orchard situations. Treatments should be based on thresholds of spider mites and their natural enemies (particularly predator mites and sixspotted thrips). In general, the goal is to manage the ratio of predators-to-spider mites (not just spider mite numbers alone) to achieve a balance in which predators can provide free control services. Also consider the impacts of other pesticides on spider mite and predator populations (organophosphates and pyrethroids are highly detrimental to spider mite natural enemies and often result in spider mite flare-ups). More information on treatment thresholds for mites and predators in walnuts is available at: ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r881400111.html. Best practices for getting the most out of your miticide in walnuts include choosing the right material for the job (i.e., those softer on predators if they are present, desired residual activity and pre-harvest intervals, quick and effective knock-down if needed, etc.) and obtaining optimal coverage (high volume, slow speed).

  • Almond & Dairy Industries Share a Beneficial Symbiotic Relationship

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    At the annual Convention of the Almond Alliance of California, growers, hullers & processors got to hear the perspective of the dairy industry through guest speaker Anja Raudabaugh CEO of Western United Dairymen, who spoke about the importance of the two industries working together to protect California agriculture and maintain higher dairy and almond hull prices. Watch the video and read more in the June issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • How Rodent Populations have been Impacted by Early Season Floods

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    With the early season rains and floods, many growers have wondered what kind of impact that might have had on rodent populations on the farm, and want to know how to manage them moving forward. Check out California Ag Network’s video interview with Wildlife Specialist Roger Baldwin from UC Davis to find the answers.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (June 26, 2017) – Another hot and dry week occurred across the State. Rainfall was limited to Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, which brought very light isolated showers to parts of the Sierras, dropping less than a tenth of an inch of rain; and again on Sunday, which had some light showers across the far northern part of the State as a Pacific moisture surge entered southern Oregon. These areas along the northern tier received about a tenth of an inch of rain, with an isolated quarter of an inch in places.

    Temperatures accelerated snowmelt in the mountains, with the snowline retreating to over 9,000 feet in elevation. Above this altitude, extensive snowfields in a band about 30 to 40 miles wide still existed between Tahoe and Sequoia National Forest. Snowdepths in these areas were two to four feet, approaching five feet in areas. Mt. Whitney and Mt. Shasta remained snow-covered at their peaks.

    Temperature highs were in the 60s to 70s along the coast, 70s to 90s in the mountains, 100s to 110s in the valley, and 100s to 120s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 40s to 60s in the mountains, 50s to 60s along the coast, 60s to 70s in the valley, and 70s to 90s in the desert.

    Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress. Corn and sorghum for silage continued being planted, cultivated, and irrigated. The corn silage crop was in various stages, from newly planted to already producing tassels. Cotton continued to be irrigated, cultivated, and was growing well.

    Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums continued to be harvested. Grapevines continued to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches to improve color. Late Navel orange harvest was completed. Valencia orange harvest continued. Regreening has become more common due to the higher temperatures. Ruby Red grapefruit were harvested.

    Walnut, almond, and pistachio orchards were irrigated. Mechanical and chemical weed control continued in nut orchards. In Sutter and Yuba Counties, walnut growers applied sunburn preventive materials.

    In Tulare County certified producers were picking tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers for sale at the local Farmers’ Markets. Italian squash, eggplant, and cucumbers continued to be harvested. Blueberry and strawberry harvests slowed down and were expected to come to a close with this week’s hot weather. Sweet corn harvest began with a few roadside stands opening and sales at the local Farmers’ markets. Carrot harvest had slowed down. Extreme hot weather had sunburned some tomatoes. In Fresno County, carrots continued to be irrigated. Weeding of lettuce seed fields continued. Roughly one-third of the onion harvest had been completed. Onion seed was drying out. In Monterey County, celery harvest began and was picking up. In Imperial County, spring melons and sweet corn were harvested. Many farmers were finished with melon harvest and were plowing fields.   In Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties, tomato crops were progressing, even though the recent heat wave slowed crop development.

    Hot temperatures contributed to the drying out of non-irrigated grasses and forbs. Non-irrigated rangeland was reported to be in good to very poor condition depending on elevation, aspect and soil moisture. The extended period of extreme temperatures and dry winds prompted Red Flag fire warnings across much of the state. Early fire season rangeland fires were impacting the western states, including Idaho and Oregon. California has had more acres burned this year since January 1st than the comparable period last year. Cattle continued to be moved to higher elevation range. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in melon and vegetable fields.

     

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (June 20, 2017) – A departing upper-level trough early in the week left cooler air across parts of the State with a few lingering showers on Monday. Rainfall was mostly limited to Monday across the far northeastern corner of the State near Alturas, which received just over half an inch of rain on Monday.  A few isolated sprinkles moistened parts of the central and northern Sierras on Monday, as well. This quickly gave way to a building mid-level ridge over the southwestern United States, which brought dry air and hot conditions to much of the State.

    Temperatures rose dramatically last week, with very hot temperatures across nearly all parts of the State except perhaps the coastal northern areas. Very warm temperatures helped accelerate snowmelt in the mountains. Both Mt. Whitney in the south and Mt. Shasta in the north were still snowcapped on their peaks, with Mt. Shasta expected to remain so for some time. Snowcover elsewhere is now limited to a band about 40 miles wide between Tahoe and the Sequoia National Forest, at elevations above 8,000 feet. There was still eight feet of snowcover at these locations, with the area just north of Yosemite still estimated at six feet of snowcover.

    Temperature highs were in the 50s to 60s along the coast, 60s to 80s in the mountains, 90s to 100s in the valley, and 90s to 110s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 40s to 50s in the mountains, 50s to 60s along the coast, 50s to 70s in the valley, and 60s to 80s in the desert.

    Silage corn planting was completed. Fields were being prepared and planted with summer beans, Sudan grass, and silage sorghum. Wheat harvest for grain was approaching completion. Small grains such as oats and barley were being cut and baled, or harvested for grain. Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress and being irrigated, cut, and baled. Corn planting continued and earlier planted fields were growing well, with some developing tassels. Cotton was being irrigated and growing well.

    Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums continue to be harvested. Some orchard floors were lined with reflective plastic to improve color prior to harvest. Grapevines continued to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches to improve color. Kiwi fruit were thinned. Cherry harvest was wrapping up for the season. Navel orange harvest was nearly complete. Valencia orange harvest continued.  Grapefruit harvest was drawing to a close. Old citrus trees were being pulled to make way for new citrus varieties. Since bloom was complete for seedless tangerines, removal of the protective netting began.

    Weed control in almond orchards was ongoing. Pistachio, walnut, and almond orchards were irrigated and fertilized. Mechanical and chemical weed control operations continued in nut orchards.

    In Colusa County, row crops such as tomatoes were growing at a fast pace.  In San Joaquin County, tomatoes and sweet corn were growing well.  Summer vegetables were harvested and offered for sale at local Farmer’s markets.  Field ground preparation and planting of crops continued.  In Fresno County, tomatoes were kept fresh by continual irrigation.  Red onions, carrots, and peppers were harvested.  Onions for seed were irrigated.  In Tulare County, summer vegetables were harvested and shipped domestically.  Italian squash, peppers, and cucumbers were harvested.  Eggplant and tomatoes continued to grow and mature.  In Imperial County, spring melons and sweet corn were harvested.  Some growers reported exceptional yields.  Dehydrated onions were harvested and shipped out of the valley for processing.  Large insect activity was reported in onion fields.

    As the summer heat dries out the grasses and forbs, range and dryland pasture forage quality began to deteriorate. Foothill range and valley dryland pasture was in fair to very poor condition. Some cattle were moved to higher elevation range. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in vegetable fields.

  • Navel Orange Worm Update

    Sacramento, Calif., (June 19, 2017) – Navel orange worm is the key pest in almond. Nut feeding by this pest directly reduces yield and grower income. For example, 1% damage* in a 2500 kernel lb/acre crop = 25 kernel lb/acre loss (and $62.5/acre at a price of $2.50/lb). Also, NOW damage is frequently contaminated with highly toxic fungus aflatoxin, which is carried by the pest. Certain major almond markets have an extremely low tolerance for aflatoxin.

    What should growers think about when planning for NOW management at hull split and harvest, particularly when egg and/or pheromone traps are largely empty in the spring?

    • NOW adults can fly a quarter of a mile. When hull splits starts in your orchard, your nuts can become vulnerable to moths from your neighbor’s orchard, if they are a quarter of a mile away, or less.
    • Time your hull split spray(s) based on crop sensitivity (hull split), not trap counts – especially in low pressure years. When NOW pressures are low, egg traps don’t always attract females for egg laying when flights begin – especially when there are thousands of splitting real nuts as competition.

    Here are some general reminders for NOW control as harvest approaches:

    • Harvest at 100% hull split. Shake your trees once the nuts have reached 100% hull split. NOW populations build with every generation (see graph below) and NOW females lay fewer eggs on harvested nuts than those nuts still in the trees. So get the nuts on the ground as soon as they are ready. For pictures and description of 100% hull split, see: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/C003/m003fchullsplit.html.
    • If you spray, spray early. Newer, soft pesticides used for NOW control last a long time and work well on eggs and small worms. Research by Dr. Frank Zalom, UC Davis Entomology Department, suggests that effective pesticide residual is in this order (roughly): Intrepid® 4 weeks > Altacor® 3 weeks > pyrethroids (Brigade®, etc.) 2 weeks. Consult with your PCA and consider spraying early, so eggs are laid on treated surfaces. This may mean starting to spray as blanks are beginning to split – depending on how long it takes you to get across the orchard. Why spray early when pressure is low? The longer you can keep the NOW population low, the lower the pressure will be later in the season when pollinators (Monterey, etc.) are splitting.
      Spray carefully. Field research results from Dr. Joel Siegel (USDA) and Ken Giles (UC Davis) have repeatedly shown that slower sprayer ground speed (2 MPH) and higher spray volume (150-200 gpa vs 100 gpa) delivers the best possible NOW control. Also, spraying when the humidity is higher (roughly 10 PM to 10 AM) means less spray evaporation and better coverage. Need to move faster? Consider using an additional sprayer instead of driving too fast and getting less control (lease/borrow?). If better spray timing could reduce damage by 0.5% (0.25% on your grade sheets*) in a 2500 kernel lb/acre orchard, that’s $31.25/acre/year back in your pocket before any quality incentives.

  • Nut Harvest Safety Seminar in Hanford, July 19

    Hanford, Calif. — As local farmers continue to diversify and plant an increasing number of nut crops, the Kings and Tulare County Farm Bureaus, along with State Fund, American Pistachio Growers and UCCE, are hosting the third annual nut harvest safety seminar.

    Scheduled for Wednesday, July 19 at the Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, this free training is directed toward nut commodity harvest equipment operators, crews and farm employees, in conjunction with farm managers/supervisors and growers. Harvest equipment for walnuts, almonds and pistachios will be included and safety materials will be provided.

    Presentations will be made in both English and Spanish, with participants rotating between various sessions on nut harvest safety. Sessions will include presentations by the CHP on rules of the road to observe when pulling trailers and equipment, Cal-OSHA on avoiding heat stress, and State Compensation Insurance Fund will discuss the safe operation of nut harvest farm equipment.

    John Ellis, Kings County Farm Bureau board member and seminar chairman, said that the event will provide valuable information to the growing number of area nut farmers.

    “We recognize that our members are producing an ever-increasing acreage of nut crops, so we’re dedicating staff and our board of directors’ time to organize this program to be helpful and informative to our membership,” Ellis said. “The seminar has been so well received during the past two summers that we want to continue offering it.”

    Those interested in registering for this free seminar should call the Tulare County Farm Bureau at (559) 732-8301 by Friday, July 14. Day-of registration will be held at 7:30 a.m. During that time, staff from the United Way and Family Healthcare Network will be on hand to provide free health screening for participants. The training begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and participants will receive a certification of completion at the seminar’s conclusion.

    For more information, please call the Kings County Farm Bureau office at (559) 584-3557.

    About Kings County Farm Bureau
    Kings County Farm Bureau is a non-profit advocacy organization that represents approximately 800 members of the agricultural community. More information is available at www.kcfb.org.

  • Tulare County Reports on Current Crop Status

    Visalia, Calif., (June 9, 2017) – Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner released the current status today of Major crops in the most valued county in the California Ag portfolio. They report that with wheat silage harvest almost completed most fields are being planted with summer beans, silage corn, Sudan grass, and silage sorghum. Wheat harvest for grain has begun, and the left over wheat straw is being baled. Alfalfa fields are making excellent progress; and being irrigated, cut, and baled. Corn continues being planted, and earlier planted fields are growing well, with some are developing tassels. Cotton is emerging and being irrigated and growing well.

    Harvest of early season varieties of peaches, nectarines, and plums is tapering off. Mid-season stone fruit varieties are getting close to maturity. Stone fruit are being exported to Australia, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. White flesh nectarines and peaches are being shipped to Brazil and Taiwan. Cherries are being picked and packed for domestic markets, and exported to Mexico. Last year’s almonds and pistachios are being exported to the European Union, Israel, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Walnut, almond, and pistachio orchards are being irrigated. Both mechanical and chemical weed control continues in orchards. Grapevines continue to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches to improve color.

    Some navel oranges continue to be picked and packed for the domestic market. Valencia oranges continue to be harvested and exported to China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Grapefruit harvest is finishing up, with Star Ruby grapefruit being shipped domestically and exported to Korea and Mexico. Seedless tangerines are having the netting removed now that the bloom is over.

    Summer vegetables are being planted and harvested and shipped domestically. Blueberries are being harvested, with exports to the European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. Strawberry harvest is nearing an end with increasing seasonal temperatures. Berries are still being harvested and sold at roadside stands.

    Low elevation rangeland continues to dry, and cattle are being moved to higher elevations. The higher elevations are providing more grass than previous years. Fed cattle prices are at $136.00 per hundredweight.

    Surface water is flowing in many of the irrigation canals. Many farmers across Tulare County are able to use surface water to irrigate crops this year instead of relying solely on pumping ground water. Wholesale nursery shipments to Canada and domestic markets continue.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (June 6, 2017) – Last week started with warm temperatures, followed by cooler temperatures as a surge of Pacific moisture brought light rain to many areas in the State. Dry and warm conditions were felt during the weekend.

    Precipitation fell in parts of the state on Monday through Wednesday, with Thursday through Sunday seeing no measurable rainfall. The heaviest rains fell over the northern valley and windward slopes of the Sierras north of Kings Canyon, where areas received around one inch of rainfall. All other parts of the valley received up to half an inch. Additional isolated showers and thunderstorms just inland from the San Diego area dropped up to half an inch on Wednesday. No new snowfall occurred last week. Snowcover was limited to the highest peaks of the southern Sierras, including Whitney, where one to two feet of snowcover still existed. The most extensive snowpacks continued to lie above 7,500 feet in the central Sierras, where one to three feet of snowcover still existed. The northern mountains were devoid of snowcover except for the peak of Shasta, which had up to six feet of snowcover.

    Temperature highs were in the 60s to 70s along the coast, 60s to 80s in the mountains, 80s to 90s in the valley, and 80s to 110s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 30s to 50s in the mountains, 40s to 50s along the coast, 50s to 60s in the valley, and 60s to 80s in the desert.

    Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress being cut, dried, and baled. Corn planting continued with earlier planted fields growing well. Corn fields were being injected with nitrogen to promote growth. Cotton was emerging and being irrigated.

    Peaches, nectarines, and apricots were being exported to foreign markets. Summer pruning of stone fruit orchards began. Both mechanical and chemical weed control continued in orchards. Orchard floors continued to be lined with reflective plastic to improve color prior to harvest. Grape vines continued to have leaves removed to allow for improved air circulation and light around the developing bunches to improve color. Cherry harvest continued, while the peak of cherry season has passed. Valencia oranges continued to be harvested and exported. Grapefruit harvest was finishing up, with Star Ruby grapefruit being exported to foreign markets. Old citrus trees were being pulled to make way for new citrus varieties. Seedless tangerines continued to be netted. Olives were still blooming.

    New orchards of almonds continued to be planted or ground prepped. Pistachio, walnut and almond orchards were irrigated and fertilized. Last year’s stored almonds and pistachios continued to be exported to foreign market places. Some orchard floors were sprayed with herbicides and fungicides.

    In San Joaquin County, processing tomatoes were growing well. Summer vegetables were harvested and offered for sale at local Farmers’ markets. The asparagus harvest was over. In Monterey County, the price for lettuce and other commodities had improved from the previous week. Production and weather were good. In San Mateo County Brussels sprouts were planted and the fields were fumigated. Fava beans and peas were harvested. In Fresno County, tomatoes were cultivated. Carrots, broccoli, and spring lettuce were harvested. Onions were irrigated and prepared for harvest. In Tulare County, summer vegetables were harvested and shipped domestically. Melons were irrigated and cantaloupes were picked. Zucchini was harvested.

    Foothill range and valley dryland pasture forage quality was primarily in fair to good condition. Drying out of grasses continued in the Sierra foothills. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in vegetable fields.

  • USDA California Crop/Weather Report

    Sacramento, Calif., (May 31, 2017) – Last week brought an upper-level ridge over the area leading to hot and mostly dry conditions. During the week, only a few locations received any measurable precipitation, Santa Rosa reported 0.03 inches on Thursday. For the weekend, a weakening of the ridge led to cooling statewide and a few more sprinkles across the northern third of the State.

    The southern Sierras were now devoid of snowcover below 9,000 feet. The central Sierras still had about two to four feet of snowcover above 7,500 feet elevation. In the northern mountains, snowcover was largely limited to the peak of Shasta, where upwards of six to eight feet of snow. A few of the higher peaks in the northwestern mountains as well as the northern Sierras also had some remnant snowcover.

    Temperature highs were in the 60s to 70s along the coast, 60s to 80s in the mountains, 90s to100s in the valley, and 90s to 110s in the desert. The temperature lows were in the 20s to 50s in the mountains, 40s to 60s in the desert, and 50s to 60s in the valley and along the coast.

    Winter wheat was chopped for silage, and some was dried, as harvest was approaching completion. Harvested fields were being disced and planted to silage or other forage crops. Alfalfa fields were making excellent progress; and being cut, dried, and baled. Corn planting continued, and earlier planted fields were growing well. Corn fields were being injected with nitrogen to promote growth. Cotton was emerging at various stages of growth, and being irrigated.

    Apricots, plums, early peaches, and nectarines were harvested. Cherry harvest was in full swing with good yields reported. Grapes were developing well with the favorable weather. Some grape leaves were removed to promote air circulation and light access to developing bunches. Thinning of immature stone fruit continued. New fruit tree orchards and vineyards were irrigated. Pomegranate and olive bloom continued. Mechanical and chemical weed control continued in orchards. Late Navel orange harvest was finishing up for the season. Valencia orange harvest continued. Old citrus orchards were pulled to make space for new citrus plantings.

    Almond nut development was progressing well. Pistachio, walnut, and almond orchards were irrigated and fertilized. Mite control sprays were applied in mite impacted walnut groves. Some orchard floors were sprayed with herbicides and fungicides.

    In Colusa County, the organic asparagus harvest ended.  Processing tomatoes were growing rapidly due to good weather.   In Yolo County, the snap pea harvest finished.  There was more blight than usual due to the high humidity and continued wet weather, but yields were above normal due to good bloom set and excellent growing conditions.  Organic fresh market tomatoes were staked and treated with copper for fungus.  In Stanislaus County, planting was finished for most processing tomatoes. Production was strong with transitions from first planting to second.  The weather was typical for the Salinas Valley with warm days and cool nights.  In Fresno County, herbicide was applied to carrots and onions.  Tomatoes were cultivated and weeded.   Broccoli for seed was cut and prepared for harvest.   In Tulare County, summer vegetables continued to grow and the fields were prepared for harvest.  Early planted melons were picked and shipped domestically.  Zucchini was harvested.  In Imperial County, melons and sweet corn were harvested and sold locally.

    Foothill rangeland and valley dryland pasture forage quality was primarily in fair to good condition. Drying out of grasses continued in the foothills of the southern Sierras. Sheep grazed on retired pasture and dormant alfalfa. Bees were active in melon and vegetable fields.